Report: Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione planning to retire

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione will retire from his full-time role during the upcoming school year, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Castiglione has been Oklahoma’s athletic director since 1998.

“Castiglione, 67, initiated the conversation about his retirement with school officials nearly a month ago, per sources, and they landed on this plan together,” Thamel wrote on X. “It allows OU to search for his replacement this year and aid a smooth transition… The timing of the move will allow OU to make a hire in the upcoming months and transition with Castiglione on campus.”

Despite Castiglione’s decision to step down from his full-time role as athletic director, he’ll still be involved with the school’s decision-making. When Oklahoma hires a new AD, Castiglione will serve as the school’s athletic director emeritus.

Since Castiglione took over at Oklahoma, the school has won a total of 25 national championships in college athletics, including in football (2000) and softball (2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). Moreover, Castiglione guided Oklahoma during its transition from the Big 12 to the SEC.

Castiglione has hired three football head coaches during his tenure at Oklahoma: Bob Stoops, Lincoln Riley and Brent Venables. Additionally, he’s hired three men’s basketball head coaches: Jeff Capel, Lon Kruger and Porter Moser.

In 2004, Castiglione won the Bobby Dodd Award for athletic director of the year. He was also named National Athletic Director of the Year in May 2009 by the SportsBusiness Journal. In 2018, it was announced Castiglione would be inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of fame.

Most recently, Joe Castiglione worked to prepare Oklahoma for the next chapter of college athletics: the revenue sharing era. After the NCAA v. House settlement was approved in June, Castiglione shared his confidence in the future of Oklahoma athletics.

“The approval of the House settlement brings clarity to the future of college athletics, but it also offers unprecedented opportunity for OU Athletics to excel as never before,” Castiglione said. “We’ve prepared for this day, and now that it’s here we’re ready to share revenue at the maximum allowable amount and add scholarships to create financial certainty for our student-athletes.”

Unlike many schools, Oklahoma will split its $20.5 million in revenue sharing between six sports: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball and women’s gymnastics. The current $20.5 million cap is reportedly expected to increase at least 4% yearly for the next 10 years.